Arvest Bank is pleased to once again sponsor the 24th annual Arkansas vs. Oklahoma Cross Country High School All Stars Meet, one of the longest events of its kind in the US. The 2017 race was held at Rogers (Arkansas) High School 5K Mountie Cross Country Course on Nov. 11 in cool, overcast conditions. The teams are comprised of top high school runners from each state, and the team results score the first ten finishers from each state.

In the boys race, Oklahoma placed a strong 1-2-3, and the score was tied at 30 after each team’s first five runners. Arkansas then tallied the next five to lead to a convincing 90-172 team win. Daniel Nichol of MacArthur (Lawton) High School from the Sooner State took individual honors in 16:16.54 over the 5,000-meter course. Close behind was Mooreland High School’ Collen McLain in 16:20.31, followed by Cliff Littleton of Shawnee High School in 16:22.34. The top Arkansas runner was Carter Reynolds of Maumelle High School who took fourth place overall in 16:29.20.

Josie Carson of Lake Hamilton High School led a stampede of Natural State runners in 18:40.58 as Arkansas took the first seven places to race to a 59-204 victory. Freshman Hailey Day of Rogers Heritage High School was second in 18:49.30, with another freshman, Ali Nachtigal of Rogers High School, close behind in third at 18:53.74. Kenya Bailey of Midwest City High School was the first Oklahoma runner in at 19:28.13.

Nov. 07, 2017 – Tom Jakobs’ professional aspiration is as daunting as it is admirable.

“I specialize in helping people with very severe disabilities to live more independently and to pursue their life goals,” said Jakobs, founder of the nonprofit corporation, Be Extraordinary* (Be-X).

It’s a pursuit easier said than done, but Be-X’s track record speaks for itself. According to the organization’s website – be-x.org – it has an 84% success rate in terms of promoting its clients’ quality of life through the effective use of technology. A bioengineer, Jakobs said that kind of success is determined on a case-by-case basis. “Sometimes success is just having a little more ability that what you had before,“ he said.

Jakobs is the 25th person to be featured in Arvest Bank’s People Helping People video series. The series is designed to celebrate individuals in the communities Arvest serves who are uniquely making a difference.

In the case of Shawn Egan, Jakobs’ – and Be-X’s – charge was to give him the capability to use a phone. Egan suffered a spinal cord injury while cutting a tree that left him paralyzed. Through years of patience that included securing grant money in addition to numerous technical trials and errors, Be-X finally was able to find a solution that allows Egan to independently place and receive calls, as well as text.

The result is that he can help with his family’s rental business, and he also serves on a couple of local boards of directors. Having that capability is beyond what Egan set as a goal for himself after his injury. “When I got hurt back in 2011, that was my big goal then – and that’s still my goal – is to get my kids out of school,” Egan said. “Just be here long enough to see they get graduated, they become adults, and they move into the life that they want.” Even so, thanks to the efforts of Be-X, Egan is able to work from home and help his children with their homework, things that didn’t seem possible at different times after his injury. In his words, that allows Egan “to contribute to society.” And that’s a big win for all involved.

About Arvest Bank

Arvest Bank operates more than 250 bank branches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas through a group of 16 locally managed banks, each with its own board and management team. These banks serve customers in more than 120 communities, with extended weekday banking hours at many locations. Arvest also provides a wide range of banking services including loans, deposits, treasury management, credit cards, mortgage loans and mortgage servicing. Arvest is an Equal

Links marked with * go to a third-party site not operated or endorsed by Arvest Bank, an FDIC-insured institution.

Nov. 24, 2017 – It would have been understandable if Louise Allison was satisfied with surviving and overcoming a period of time most can’t fathom.

“I'm a survivor of sexual assault and sex trafficking,” Allison said. “It happened to me when I was a kid. I was on the streets for about two years in the sex industry.”

More than two decades after being rescued from that horror – and some would say miraculously rebuilding her life – Allison came to a realization she couldn’t shake.

“I think I hid from that darkness and hid from that secret for years, and as an adult when I began to recognize or come to grips with the things that had happened to me when I was younger,” Allison said, “I also realized I was not the only one out there. It's still going on… There's a lot of people that need help.”

“We are no longer victims of sexual assault. We are no longer victims of sex trafficking,” Allison said. “We are survivors."

“And that surviving helps another girl realize that you can get past this and you, too, can become a survivor.”

Allison is the 26th person to be featured in Arvest Bank’s People Helping People video series. The series is designed to celebrate individuals in the communities Arvest serves who are uniquely making a difference. The idea came from the bank’s mission statement: “People helping people find financial solutions for life.”

The MarCom Award-winning videos are available via Arvest’s social media channels – YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and the Arvest Blog – and the bank will make related posts each time a new story appears. Additionally, Arvest social media followers can help spread the word about these inspiring community members by sharing, liking and retweeting the videos. Allison’s video will launch on Nov. 24.

Part of PATH’s mission is to advocate on behalf of those victimized by sex-trafficking and provide them trauma-focused restorative care. Allison’s video gives a glimpse of not just how she has impacted many survivors, but how some of those survivors have been inspired to help others as well. Those who want to learn more are encouraged to visit pathsaves.org.

About Arvest Bank Arvest Bank, named by Forbes magazine as one of “America’s Best Large Employers” for 2017, operates more than 250 bank branches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas through a group of 16 locally managed banks, each with its own board and management team. These banks serve customers in more than 120 communities, with extended weekday banking hours at many locations. Arvest also provides a wide range of banking services including loans, deposits, treasury management, credit cards, mortgage loans and mortgage servicing. Arvest is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC.

Links marked with * go to a third-party site not operated or endorsed by Arvest Bank, an FDIC-insured institution.

Arvest Bank will honor teachers throughout the state of Oklahoma by awarding 33 educators with a total of more than $15,000 in prize money.

The decision to award 33 $500 gifts to individual teachers from a pool of more than 90 communities was made not only out of respect and appreciation for the work teachers do, but as a sign of support at a time when many school budgets across the state have been cut. All prizes will go to teachers who work at state-funded schools.

“Arvest understands how important teachers are to our children, our communities, and our future,” Arvest Marketing Manager Angela Spradlin said. “We appreciate how hard teachers work and hope these awards will be accepted as a show of gratitude and gratefulness.”

To nominate a teacher to receive one of the $500 prizes, look for an Arvest Bank Facebook post about this contest during the week of Oct. 16-22. Comment on the Facebook post, including the teacher’s name, school name, city, and one sentence describing why that teacher deserves to win!

Arvest Bank, named by Forbes magazine as one of “America’s Best Large Employers” for 2017, operates more than 260 bank branches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas through a group of 16 locally managed banks, each with its own board and management team. These banks serve customers in more than 120 communities, with extended weekday banking hours at many locations. Arvest also provides a wide range of banking services including loans, deposits, treasury management, credit cards, mortgage loans and mortgage servicing. Arvest is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC.

Bear State Bank and Arvest Bank have exciting news to share today. An agreement has been signed where Arvest will acquire Bear State and come together as one customer-focused bank. The acquisition of Bear State Bank meets two strategic goals for Arvest – entry into attractive new markets for the bank, and an expansion of customer base and branches in existing Arvest markets. We’re excited to welcome Bear State Bank customers and associates to Arvest and look forward to working together in the future.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Aug. 22, 2017) – Arvest Bank (“Arvest”) announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bear State Financial, Inc. (“Bear State”) (NASDAQ:BSF), the parent company of Bear State Bank. The acquisition, expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017 or first quarter of 2018 pending customary regulatory approvals and subject to approval by Bear State shareholders, is an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $391 million.

Bear State Bank operates 42 branches and three personalized technology centers in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, while Arvest operates more than 250 branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. As of June 30, 2017, Bear State had total assets of $2.24 billion and total deposits of $1.7 billion in 34 communities. As of June 30, 2017, Arvest had total assets of $17.30 billion and total deposits of $14.98 billion in 120 communities.

“This is a strategic move for us and one made after much careful consideration,” Arvest president and CEO Kevin Sabin said. “In addition to giving us the opportunity to expand into some new communities, this deal also allows us to strengthen our presence in some existing markets.

“Because Bear State is such a solid company with dedicated employees – and because both banks are so committed to their communities – we believe this will be a great fit. From outstanding products and services to superior customer service, Arvest shares a lot of similarities to Bear State and we look forward to serving all of our customers – old and new – with the same courtesy, competency and care as we always have.”

Of the 34 communities where Bear State operates, 18 are markets where Arvest has banking operations while 16 markets will be new communities for Arvest – most notably communities in northeast Arkansas, southwest Arkansas, southern Missouri and southeast Oklahoma. Arvest Bank and Bear State customers will not notice any immediate changes, and both banks will continue to conduct business as usual. A full conversion of systems and accounts will occur in 2018, and Arvest Bank will be communicating with Bear State customers over the next several months regarding their transition to Arvest Bank.

Additionally, all those employed by Bear State on the date of contract closing will become employees of Arvest Bank.

Arvest Bank, named by Forbes magazine as one of “America’s Best Large Employers” for 2017, operates more than 250 bank branches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas through a group of 16 locally managed markets, each with its own local board and management team. These banks serve customers in more than 120 communities, with extended weekday banking hours at many locations. Arvest also provides a wide range of banking services including loans, deposits, treasury management, credit cards, mortgage loans and mortgage servicing. Arvest is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC.

About Bear State Financial

Bear State common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “BSF.” For more information on Bear State, please visit www.bearstatefinancial.com. Its principal subsidiary, Bear State Bank, is a community oriented financial institution providing a broad line of financial products to individuals and business customers. Bear State Bank operates 42 branches, three personalized technology centers equipped with interactive teller machines and three loan production offices throughout Arkansas, Southwest Missouri and Southeast Oklahoma.

Investment products and services are provided by Arvest Investments, Inc., doing business as Arvest Asset Management, member FINRA/SIPC, an SEC registered investment adviser and a subsidiary of Arvest Bank. Trust services are provided by Arvest Bank. Insurance products are made available through Arvest Insurance, Inc., which is registered as an insurance agency. Insurance products are marketed through Arvest Insurance, Inc., but are underwritten by insurance companies.
Securities and Insurance Products: Not Insured by FDIC or any Federal Government Agency, May Lose Value, Not a Deposit of or Guaranteed by a Bank or any Bank Affiliate.